Reply to Does anyone feel like the current DSM needs urgent updating?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I understand that treatments for each level might be different, but based on my experiences with autistic people it really does seem like a spectrum. I know one kid who will close his eyes and rock back and forth as far as physically possible. He can hardly have a back and forth conversation, and laughs and talks to himself loudly at inappropriate times. He cannot come up with his own answers to assignments that require original sentences. Another autistic kid I know has back and forth conversations in some context, but not others (he can ask for clarification when receiving instructions, but in casual conversation either doesn't respond or responds with something completely off topic). He rocks back and forth in a less exaggerated manner with his eyes glazed over, and blurts out comments. Other kids just talk at me but can have reciprocal conversations with friends, just in a really off manner and don't ask follow-up questions, and they flap their hands at random moments.

Maybe these are just all level 1, but the first kid and the last kids I mentioned seem to have different levels of support needs. [/quote]

Right but the behaviors you describe are not all that different. They all display perseveration and repetitive movements. I don’t think anyone is arguing about level of severity. I think what we’re saying is that ‘autism is a spectrum’ should not justify grouping people with virtually no symptoms in common together [/quote]

But the difference in level 1, level 2, and level 3 is severity, and the way I am reading the comments in this thread, people seem to be suggesting level 1 should not be called autism. The last kids I mentioned are kids you’d say have “high functioning autism,” and people in the thread are saying that should be a separate category. Everybody diagnosed with autism, even level 1, has to have repetitive behaviors and communication deficits. [/quote]

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